Two groups of Wolverhampton schoolchildren enjoyed a unique Bullseye Maths experience when they met stars Josh Rock and Connor Scutt at the Grand Slam of Darts.
Bullseye Maths, in association with Vanquis, is the PDC's award-winning numeracy scheme which promotes the links between darts and maths in a fun and inclusive way.
The annual Grand Slam of Darts in Wolverhampton gave pupils from two local primary schools the chance to enjoy Bullseye Maths sessions at WC Active Aldersley.
World Cup winner Josh Rock led a session with SS Peter and Paul Catholic Primary Academy, while his Grand Slam rival Connor Scutt joined pupils from Northwood Park Primary School.
"I've really enjoyed it," said Rock, the 24-year-old Northern Irish number one. "I use maths every day playing darts, and a young age going through school it was the best thing for my maths.
"I believe for a lot of young kids that they can enjoy playing darts and also enjoy playing maths.
"My maths improved massively when I started throwing darts. At my school we never got anything like Bullseye Maths so it's great to see the kids getting opportunities like this."
The sessions, delivered by the JDC Education Team and with support from the Wolves Foundation, saw the Key Stage 2 age pupils take part in a range of dart-based activities, as well as scoring a leg of darts featuring the professional stars.
"It was great to be part of the Bullseye Maths session and to see how the children got involved with the different darts activities," said Scutt, 29.
"When I was young I found maths extremely difficult, but darts has really helped me and it's always been a passion of mine. Darts helped me to pass my maths exam at school and it makes maths fun.
"Darts helped me with my simpler maths and I found I was able to do a lot of my adding up without a calculator. I enjoy maths and I hope we can help more children to do the same through Bullseye Maths."
Bullseye Maths was launched in 2022 to promote numeracy across all ages and is supported by Vanquis Bank, whose aims include improving number confidence across society through initiatives led by the Vanquis Foundation.
"We were absolutely blown away by the dedication and commitment of Bullseye Maths team," said Northwood Park Primary School Senior Lead/Maths Lead Mrs Asghar.
"Not only did the children leave feeling an immense sense of pride in their ability to play darts, but their self-confidence in applying their number skills also improved.
"Overall, it was a unique workshop which has enabled our pupils to embrace their talents, compete against a wonderful role model and discover the fun side of Maths!
"Northwood Park Primary is very grateful for the opportunity and can not wait for to attend future events!"
Northwood Park Year 5 pupil Ivy B said: "I went to Bullseye Maths with my school, and at first, I was a little nervous but once we started playing darts, I was so happy!
"I had such a fun and exciting time with my friends and my teachers. After we finished playing darts, we got to go up on the big stage like the professionals do and we met Connor Scutt, a real professional!
"I really enjoyed my time at Bullseye Maths and didn't expect it to be so much fun!"
Vanquis also support National Numeracy, who recently held their annual Number Confidence Week which in 2025 was promoting "Money Matters".
"This is a brilliant opportunity for our children," said St Peter and Paul Catholic Primary Academy Principal Mrs Byrne. "They are practising mental maths and not even realising it.
"It's great for them to meet a celebrity and to be inspired in practising key skills - they're working collaboratively and learning new things that they'll take back into school and replicate in a good way.
"For those that might have the feeling that maths is a bit of a barrier that actually it's accessible to all, it's useful in life and it can be fun too.
"Any kind of active learning is really important for children, and the chance to talk things through, collaborate and reason with one another is invaluable.
"Not only is it great for them to come to a local venue in Wolverhampton, working with the Wolves Foundation is always important for us."
The PDC's Bullseye Maths online portal features downloadable worksheets and the interactive Mathlete game, alongside videos where top players and referees discuss their experiences around numeracy.
Further details about Bullseye Maths can be seen at this link.
